Not Another Post on the Oscar Noms!

This morning’s Academy Award nominations really drove home to me why I write this blog. I am not embarrassed to tell you that I have yet to see any of the films nominated for Best Picture. That’s not to say that I won’t see them at some point. But I’ve come to understand that I just don’t care about keeping up with the flood of new releases or rushing to see every nominated film before the awards are announced.

I will discover the great films the way I’ve always discovered them, and in the same way that I find great music, or literature. Not (necessarily) from awards or year-end lists, but in my own time and in my own way. Maybe it will be through a friend’s recommendation, or an interesting review, or a connection with another film or actor or director.

But I don’t want this blog to try to “cover” the big news the way that so many other blogs do. They do it quicker, and bigger, and better most of the time.

The title “Toronto Screen Shots” may make this site sound like a generic (if local) film blog, but the truth is that it’s a personal site, with my idiosyncratic tastes on full display.

Instead of posting the nominations and carping about them, like hundreds of other sites will be doing today, I’m simply going to let it pass. If something shiny appears in the corner of my eye, I’ll let you know about it, as always, but it’s become clear to me that I’m just not qualified to talk about the Oscars right now when I’ve seen so few of the nominated films.

The media generally like to whip up the hype to make everyone think that this year’s nominees are among the greatest works of art ever committed to film. When you take the long view back into history, and the broad view around the world, you realize how ridiculous that really is.